The boy in the white pyjamas
by Murasaki 174
Summary: This is basically a story about how Mello and Near meet, about the orphanage, Wammy's House, and about how Mello grows to hate him. It's written from Mello's pov. Rated M for possible violence, and language.
1. Chapter 1

When I woke up, all I heard was noise. Of course, it wasn't unusual, but something seemed to be happening. I groaned and rolled around, trying to fall back asleep. My eyes found familiar red hair as I saw Matt leaning against the wall of our shared room, playing one of his useless video games. He looked up and grinned, throwing his console on his bed before walking towards me. "Yo, Mello. You'll want to see this." He motioned to the window, where we had a clear view of the front entrance. I made a quiet whining noise as I walked out of bed, closing my eyes against the burning light of the sun. I opened them, only to see some kids running towards the entrance gates. I tilted my head, suddenly interested. After I blinked a couple of times, I saw a black car parked on the street, and a small kid with white hair walking out of it. "Who's he?" I asked Matt. He replied with a shrug before smiling under his coat collar. "Let's go see."

After I got dressed, Matt and I walked outside after stopping by the kitchen to steal some chocolate bars for me. As I bit one, I looked around, seeing children, either younger or older than me, running to meet the person. As Matt and I were walking, he suddenly stopped, remembering something. "Oh, yeah," he said, looking for something in his coat pocket before throwing a crumpled up piece of paper in my direction. "Roger came by this morning to give you this. But since you were still sleeping, he gave it to me so that I could pass it on to you. Congrats, genius." He grinned as I flattened it on the wall, reading it slowly. I had scored the best out of Wammy's House again. I didn't get 100% in every subject, I still needed to improve, but at least I was better than everyone else. I looked further down at the piece of paper, which was in fact a list. "Hey, Matt, you're second." I said, midly surprised. I knew Matt wasn't stupid, he was nearly as smart as me, but he slept in class, and never listened. Sometimes, I wondered how he could possibly be the second smartest, here. I shrugged, brushing off the thought from my mind, and high-fived him before finally reaching the door which would lead us outside.

As I pushed past some younger kids which were at the front of the crowd, I looked at the small boy I saw from my room. He looked about 7. I, myself, was only 10, but I still looked much taller than him. He was wearing a white shirt and white pants. 'Does this guy have an obsession with white or something?', I thought to myself, looking at his hair and outfit. He was looking at the ground, like a shy kid. It was either that, or he just didn't care about anyone else and didn't even acknowledge their presence. After a brief moment of chatter, Roger made us silent before speaking in a loud voice, so that the people at the back could still hear him. "I am pleased to introduced Near, who will be staying with us from now on." After all the usual cheesy comments as 'Please be nice with him', he then let Near speak. The boy opened his mouth as if wanting to say something before looking down at the ground again, silent. Roger smiled awkwardly and rapidly pointed to me. "Mello, why don't you show him around?", he asked. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why me?!" I said, with a bit more of harshness in my voice than I intended. He laughed and shrugged. I sighed in defeat, waving to Matt as he walked away with the crowd. It was nearly time for class, and apparently, I had to miss it to show this weird, new kid around. Great.

I walked to the boy, who was apparently called Near. He obviously didn't care enough to look up at me, so I rolled my eyes and extended my hand. "Hi. I'm Mello." He slowly looked at it, and, instead of shaking it, he simply nodded. This kid was starting to annoy me. Did he think he was better than everyone else or something? I pointed to the main entrance, determined to show him around, only so that he could see who the boss was, here. I started walking towards it, but after 10 meters or so, I looked back and saw Near going to other way. I ran back to him. "Where the hell are you going?" I tried to sound friendly, but he already pissed me off. He pointed to a suitcase which was lying on the ground against the gate, and I sighed. "Oh…" I shrugged and let him get it before going back to walking, this time making sure that he was following me. The silence was awkward, and I didn't like it. "So…How old are you, anyways?" He looked at me before quietly answering. "I'm nine years old." I was surprised to hear that. He looked so childish, with his curly white hair and his clothes that resembled pyjamas. Also, his way of wording his answer made me wonder what kind of horrible school he went to, before. Probably a really strict one. I mean, come on. Wasn't "I'm nine" enough? I shrugged lightly. 'This guy is officially weird', I decided.


	2. Chapter 2

After I had spent the whole day showing Near the hall, the rooms, the different classes, and all the necessary places he should know about, I had to admit that he was pretty boring. I tried to talk and have a conversation with him at various times, but he either just nodded, or replied with a couple of words. Just before dinner, I had played a soccer match, which I of course won, while Matt was sitting on the grass, playing a video game. We then walked to the dining hall together, sitting down at our table. As we were eating our dinner, Matt raised an eyebrow at me. "You've been awfully quiet today." he remarked, as I was taking a chocolate bar out of my pocket. I looked at him, forcing a smile. "Well, for most of the day, I had to show a weird kid around. And then there was the soccer match. I haven't really had time to talk." He nodded, convinced. "Well, I guess that's true. Who's the new kid, anyway? Erm, N- Neal? Neat?", he asked, obviously thinking hard about his name. I rolled my eyes at him, laughing. "It's Near, you dumbass." He laughed, and we kept quiet for about ten seconds before he asked me a new question. Matt was cool, really, but he was sometimes too curious. "So, what's he like?" I shrugged, not knowing how to answer. Frankly, I didn't care about him. Trying to change the subject, I punched Matt's arm gently, grinning. "So, it's your birthday next week, huh?" He looked at me in confusion. "It is? Wait, is it January already? Wait- What day is it?!" He asked, obviously nervous. "…It's the 19th, Matt." He suddenly stood up. "Shit, I've got an essay due tomorrow- See ya!", and with that, he ran off, leaving me sitting there like a loner.

Here, at Wammy's house, we had to stay in the dining hall until 7:30. That was a rule. We had to be there at 7:00, and we had to take our time and eat until the bell rang. I didn't really care. I had been here a year, and I got used to it, as everybody had. Matt running off would have caused problems, if only teachers actually noticed him leaving. They never did. It was another reason why I found him cool- He was pretty quick. That was why I was surprised when a teacher pushed a small boy into the hall, obviously in a rude manner. I mean, of course, the kid was late-it was already 7:20, but he was just a kid. I leaned my head to the left slightly, to take a look at the kid's face, before I realised what colour his hair and clothes were. I gritted my teeth, praying that he wouldn't walk to my table- which he, of course, did. He looked at me, and spoke quietly. "Can I sit here?" He pointed to the sit in front of me with his free hand, while his other hand was carrying a plate, to the place where Matt had previously sat down. I shrugged. "Go ahead." He nodded in thanks, and, putting his plate on the table, he sat down.

For the entire ten minute, we said nothing to each other. Literally. Not one single word. All he was doing was eat his food, and all I was doing was eat my chocolate. As the bell rang, I stood up, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. I quickly said something like "Well-bye.", before running off to find Matt. Of course, I knew where he was going to be. In our room. I mean, it was obvious. The library was open at dinner time, but it was nearly impossible to go there without alerting the teachers, and Matt would make too much noise. I quickly walked up the stairs to where our room were, and, opening the door, I took a look inside, only to find Matt sleeping in his chair, with a book over his head and a pen in his hand, that could fall at any moment. I tried not to laugh, and, taking the book from his head, I slammed it back on it. It shouldn't have hurt as much as you could imagine it did, really. It was quite a gentle slam, but it was still hard enough for him to wake up with a small "Ow!", rubbing his head. He shoot a look at me. "What was that for?!" I laughed. "Go back to doing your essay. It's due tomorrow, remember?" He sighed, defeated, and grabbed the book which had fallen on the floor, putting it back on his desk. "Alright…"

With that, I went in the bathroom to change, before walking back in, grabbing a random book from the bookshelf (which was mostly mine, Matt didn't read. Apparently, his video games were better than any book.), and lying down on my bed. As I was reading it, I heard a strong knock on the door. I raised an eyebrow, while Matt was looking at me, urging me to answer, as he obviously didn't want to. I sighed. "Come in." I waited as the door opened , before seeing Roger walking in. "Roger? What is it? Is there someth-" I stopped mid sentence as I saw a small boy with white hair behind him. I looked at Roger, waiting for an explanation. "As there aren't any room available right now", he said, after a while, "I decided to let Near stay in your's and Matt's room for the next couple of weeks." As I was going to protest, he shook his head. "No arguing. Isn't there a spare bed somewhere?" I glared at Matt, not wanting to be the only one talking. "Erm…There's one, yeah." He said, pointing to a relatively small bed, right next to the door. Roger smiled. "Fabulous. Good night, boys." Near and I nodded, while Matt shrugged. For a minute, Near and I just looked at each other, me frowning, and him raising one of his eyebrows. He then slowly walked to the bed and put his suitcase next to it, before climbing in it and closing his eyes. I mean, really. Without saying even a single word. I caught Matt's expression, which cried "Who the hell is this freak?!", and shook my head, mentally telling him not to care about it. I slowly fell asleep, Near already snorring and Matt writing his essay. This was going to be a hell of a horrible two weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

You know, I don't consider Matt stupid. I actually think he's quite smart, and I know he could be much, much smarter if he actually listened in class, and actually wanted to be L's successor. (But anyways, since I was obviously going to be the one to be it, he didn't have much of a chance, even if he tried.). So, anyways, I was expecting Matt to give up on his essay after I fell asleep, but when I woke up, I only had to turn my head slightly to look at the numberous pieces of paper on the desk. I had a quick look at them, they weren't bad, really. They were actually quite good. It was a saturday, so we only had classes in the morning. I looked at the clock to check if I had time to nap a little, but it was already half past six in the morning. I woke up Matt by shaking his arm until he woke up, alert, mumbling something that sounded like "Bowser, is that you?!", which I didn't get. Who the hell was Bowser? I shrugged as he finally remembered who I was and smiled, embarrassed. "Oh...Sorry." And, with that apology, he fell right back asleep.

I decided to let Matt snooze for a bit, though I didn't know what I could do in the meantime. I could always borrow one of his games, and play for a while, but I honestly didn't see the point in them. I looked under my pillow for any spare chocolate to eat as my stomach obviously took its turn at waking up. I could try to sneak in the kitchen, but it wouldn't be as much fun without Matt, anyway. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, as if to say "Oh god, why? Why is there no more chocolate?", before I heard a small voice. "You like chocolate, then?" It was small and quiet, but still didn't sound shy. Actually, it sounded really confident, like it wasn't even a question, more like a statement.

I turned around, surprised by the sudden noise, before I remembered that Near was staying with us. I had hoped that it was just a dream, or even a hallucination. I mean, I knew he couldn't be that bad, but I didn't want to spend a couple of weeks with him, anyways. So far, he sounded like an annoying freak that had an obsession to white. Maybe 'Near' meant 'white' in a language, somehow. I'd have to look it up, sometime. I looked at him and nodded, agreeing with his statement. "Yeah. I do." I looked at him to see what his reaction would be, but his expression remained blank. I gritted my teeth. What was with this kid? 9 years old aren't normally supposed to be like that. They're actually supposed to have some type of look on their face. I wondered what kind of past he had, and it made me curious, which made me, in turn, angry. Why the hell would I be curious about that guy?

After a couple of minutes of silence and of me trying to calm my anger down (which was difficult. I'm not good at it.), I finally decided to speak again. "Since it's saturday, it's only a half day. You'll have to go the class associated with your level for the morning, and then, after lunch, you'll be free to do whatever you want." I said, trying to explain how things worked around here. I considered that friendly, welcoming him into Wammy's. But he simply nodded. "I know. Roger explained it to me already. What level are you?" His voice was as emotionless as his face. Maybe his brain was so blank that he wasn't even smart enough to even think about different emotions or expressions. The thought made me grinned, and I momentarily forgot about his question. After a couple of seconds, though, I remembered it and thought about what classroom I would need to be in today. After the list that Matt gave me yesterday announced that I was the smartest at the orphanage, I'd have to go with level +. It was basically a class for the smartest kids. Matt, and 3 other kids would be there, too. "Level +." I said, trying to hide the pride in my words. Surely enough, Near would think of me as the boss around here, now, as that meant I was one of the smartest kids around. He responded with a shrug. "Me too."

That left me speechless. What? That 9 years old kid with the white pyjamas? How could he possibly be as smart as me? No, he couldn't be as smart as me. I saw the list, I was clearly first. ...Well, he wasn't actually at the school yet before that, so he couldn't have been on the list. I closed my mouth to stop myself from making any uneccessary noises such as "Hmpf", or "Uh?", and nodded. I planned to watch him in class, to see if he actually was as smart as he wanted people to think, with his quiet and mysterious side. Suddenly, just as I was about to make a sarcastic comment at him, Matt opened his mouth and spoke, midly alarmed, mildly concerned. "Princess Peach, no! Watch out!", at the same time as he opened his eyes. As Near and I were looking at him, not knowing how to react, he grinned, obviously even more embarrassed than the last time, as Near was looking at him as well, this time. "Well...Morning!"


	4. Chapter 4

Class that day was quite boring, until _it _happened. Matt and I sat at our usual seats, Near sat down next to me, (seriously, couldn't he leave me alone for a minute? What was he, a puppy? A white puppy with curls? Ha.), and the other kids sat around. The fact that Near was present surprised the 3 other kids that were there with us, and I was sure that they soon came to the conclusion that Near was a freak, too. I mean, while Matt was busy playing with his game, under his desk, which was apparently about running in castles and jumping on stuff to rescue a blond princess, the other kids and I were listening to the teacher, and Near kept asking all sorts of logical, but pointless, questions, defying the teacher's statement. After a while, the teacher got fed up (I honestly admire her for her patience, I would have snapped after a minute), and asked, I quote, "Well, if you're so smart, then why don't you give me the answer?". Now, you're probably thinking that that sounds a bit harsh, but just think of it from the teacher's point of view for a moment, okay? You're trying to teach a class about a particular topic and an idiot keeps interrupting you. You'd crack, too.

Now, when something like this happens, the cliche stuff to happen is that the student doesn't know the answer, and while his or her classmates laugh at them, they get embarrassed. But...No. No, Near actually gave her an answer. A long one- with facts backing it up. Even I, who wasn't really paying attention to his questions a while before, stopped trying to convince Matt to turn off his game, and preferred to listen to the debate. Well...Debate really isn't a good word. Near was just speaking, and speaking, and the teacher just froze there, listening. After that, the bell rang, and we all walked out of class, weirded out.

'He's probably gonna get a reputation as a freak from now on', I thought to myself. But...That was merely just a thought, a hope, my imagination trying to convince myself of something that actually could or couldn't happen. But, of course, because life is random and difficult like that, it couldn't. Once I stepped into the hall, to eat lunch with Matt, I started hearing people whispering (rather loudly) to each other about how much of a genius he was. I forced myself not to yell for them to shut up. I mean, that kid was far from a genius. I mean, sure, he was in the highest class, but hey, I was, too. And even if he used nice words next to another to convince a teacher that his answer was better than her's, I was still better than him. I sat down, eating my chocolate, while Matt was eating chips.

The rest of the day went on by quickly, though one thing I knew for sure after Near fell asleep was that he pissed me off. He was just a new kid that looked like a seven years old, and who liked puzzles and dice. Really, when all of us either played soccer or walked around in their group of friends, he sat in the corner of the main hall, completing a white puzzle. Even when Linda, who was quite an average mind, but a really great artist with a friendly smile, asked him to go and play outside with us, he refused, saying "I'm fine", coldly. Of course, she was disappointed when she heard that. But why? Why want to go play with that guy? I was the one that people were supposed to admire, that people were supposed to talk about. Not...Him. I had wanted to talk to Matt about it, but I decided against it. After all, he would have probably either said I was jealous, or wouldn't have listened to me. Hell, even he said that Near sounded quite smart. His birthday was on the first of february, and I was seriously debating whether to actually get him anything or not, after that. I sighed. 'Don't be silly', I thought. 'I'm just lying to myself. Of course I'll get him something.'

And with that, I decided to try and fall asleep, determined not to let that annoying, childish, freak be better than me. Even if today he had the answer, even if today, people thought he was smart, and even if today, he seemed like a genius... Even if he was, today, he'd never be, again. I would be the one L chooses as his successor. I wonder if Near even knew about that, anyways. About L. And about why Wammy's House was here. I decided not to let myself question it right now. 'You just wait until a test comes by, Near.' I smirked to myself, whispering ever-so-lightly. 'I'll be number one.'


	5. Chapter 5

Hi Guys. I hope you all have a happy new year and all that. :p Please leave a review after reading. It'll make my year. :3

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Last night, I had a dream. Well, rather, a nightmare. It started well, with L visiting the orphanage, announcing that he had chosen his successors. Of course, I was sure it was going to be me. I would become the next L. I was going to be as good as him. No, rather, I would surpass him. That's why, when he announced that he had chosen Near, I immediatly woke up, sweating from the possibility of my nightmare becoming a reality. I looked over to Near, and I suddenly had a horrible thought. Couldn't I just make sure he wouldn't become the next L simply? I counted the possible scenarios I could come up with...Poison, suicide...The list was endless. I begged my mind to stop thinking about it. I would surpass Near and L in a fair (well, as fair as I would feel comfortable with) way. I would simply win. "It's on.", I thought while smirking at Near's pale, sleeping figure.

The next week went on, as boring as ever, with Near being recognized as a "genius". Obviously, no one had any idea what a real genius was. If anyone was worthy to be called one, here, it would be me. We were supposed to get our exam results today, for the first time since Near came to Wammy's House, and I had a strange feeling in my stomach. Fear? What could I possibly be afraid of? Of him placing first? No chance. I had improved since last time. I was better. And I found the exam easy. I'll be better than him. Wait- was I trying to convince myself of that? No, no. It was a fact. I am better. I looked around me. Only Matt was around, as we had sneaked out of sight, in the forest, as we always did, to be left alone, away from people. Matt didn't like people, and I didn't want to bother with them today.

"So," Matt asked while playing his video game, which was now about a small yellow thing eating dots and running away from coloured ghosts. "Excited about the results?" I looked at him, prepared to answer, but instead I groaned, putting my arms around my stomach. I didn't know what was happening, I hardly ever got sick. "I don't feel so well." I said, after he had turned off his game. I immediatly knew he was going to ask if I wanted to go see the nurse, so I quickly added "I'm fine." to my previous statement. Desperate to change the subject before he asked any further questions, I tried to smile, and looked at him. "Know what day it is, Matt?" He looked at me curiously before shrugging. "31st of January, isn't it?" I responded with a grin. "Know what's happening tomorrow?" He looked at me for a minute before nodding, grinning back. "I don't know what's tomorrow, but I know what's in 6 days. The release of Paper Mario in North America. That's what you were talking about, right?" He seemed so convinced that was it that it made me laugh, but it also made me feel bad. Poor guy didn't even care about his birthday. I don't blame him, though. Neither of us had any family left, so it wasn't that special. I'd rather have of forgotten about mine. I smiled at him, punching him softly on the shoulder, as I did so many times before. "It's your birthday, you idiot." He looked at me, his eyes wide. "Really? Tomorrow?", his tone suggested that he didn't believe me, which made me laugh even more.

I thought about the present that I had bought for Matt a while back. He had complained about the sun making it harder for him to play his video games, and he didn't like looking at people that much, which is why he had grown out his hair so that it would cover his eyes. I was one of the only people knowing what his eye colour was, though I'm sure not many people did. That's why I had bought him a pair of orange goggles. It would help him with his sun issue, and he wouldn't have to struggle with his hair anymore. I didn't know if he would like them, but I knew that they would be useful. I smiled as I forgot about my anxiousness about the results, and about Near.

After we had stayed there for about another hour, we walked back to the hall, where Near was. Just before walking up the stairs, I saw Linda walking to Near, obviously trying to get him to go and play outside with the other kids, once again. I rolled my eyes at her, though she obviously couldn't see me, and I climbed a couple of stairs before looking back one last time. What I saw next surprised me so much that it made me stop, frozen. She had actually sat down next to him, helping him with his puzzle. Who the hell would go down as low as that and play with that weird boy in the white pyjamas? I didn't get it. I poked Matt's shoulder, who also stopped, and quietly requested that we hurry up to our room. He nodded, and we got there pretty fast, after that. I entered our room, and found three exam results on our desk. Three sheets of paper. One for each of us. I froze, before walking to it slowly. Matt raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to move faster. I picked up my copy of the results and looked at it, before sitting down on my bed slowly.


	6. Chapter 6

My name. Second. I looked at it with wide eyes as I sat down on my bed. Near's name. First. I stood up quickly and checked the third copy, the one Matt hadn't taken, to see if it was any different. Mello, second. Near, first. I looked over at Matt, who was playing one of his video games, before I walked out of the room, without saying anything. I walked and walked before I finally reached the forest, where Matt and I were. I sat down against a tree. This was the first time I had ever been placed second-And I wouldn't care, normally, but...Second, after _Near_? He was the new kid- And I didn't just feel like a failure. I felt humiliated. Soon everyone would read the results and everyone would acknowledge Near as number one. I couldn't let that happen. I turned my head sideways when I heard the sound of a branch breaking, only to find a short girl with pigtails looking down on me with a smile. I knew she wasn't trying to make fun of me, but right now, that's all I felt like.

"Hi, Mello!" She said, in her usual happy tone. I stood up, raising an eyebrow at her. "What do you want, Linda?" I spat out the words in a harsh way. I wasn't trying to-but I honestly could have gone on without her talking to me. She looked at me, surprised, before smiling again annoyingly. I knew she was just being friendly, but she pissed me off. "Near is staying in your room right now, right?" She asked. I shrugged at her. "So what?" What was her deal with Near? God dammit. She was annoying. She shook her head at me. "Oh, nothing. You guys must be good friends, then, ri-", she stopped mid sentence as a boy called her name, one of her friends, I guessed. She waved at me, quickly saying 'bye!', before running off to find him. I stood there with gritted teeth, only hoping that this was another nightmare.

When I woke up, all I saw was white. Of course, I naturally thought that I was still in the forest, and that it was a particularly clear day, but then I heard a familiar voice calling my name, which made me turn my head, only to see that I was back in my room. Happy to think that I had just dreamed what had happened, I smiled, before hearing what Matt was saying. "Mello! Mello. Oh, you're awake. That's good. I found you in the forest." He shrugged, before continuing. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep there, you know." My smile slowly faded as I understood that it wasn't a nightmare, that Near really did come first. I looked at the floor slowly, not even bothering to remember about Matt's birthday. He smiled sadly at me. "Classes are gonna start soon. Hurry up and get dressed." He pointed to me, while he walked away. I nodded, walking to the bathroom.

The morning went by quite slowly. It was painful. Everyone congratulating Near, while I was only second. Everyone smiling at him, and him not even looking back at them. I hated this guy. I hadn't known him for even a month, but I still hated him with all my heart. That boy in the white pyjamas and with the white, curly hair. That boy that always plays with his toys at lunch or dinner. Or who always has a puzzle with him, even in class. I hated him. I hated him.

It was at lunch that I finally remembered about Matt's birthday. We had moved outside, as it was a sunny day. He was playing a video game, sitting against the wall, while I was reading a book next to him. I quickly closed it, and, without a word, ran to our room. I didn't see him react, maybe he didn't even notice. Or maybe he knew what I was doing. I opened our door, grabbing the badly wrapped present from under my bed, before running down again. He was still sitting in the same spot, playing the same video game, while semi-closing his eyes against the sun. I grinned, and sat back down next to him, immediatly forgetting how depressed I felt a minute ago. He looked at me, an eyebrow raised, probably wondering why I looked so happy all of a sudden. I told him to turn off his game, which he did. I then handed him the present, grinning. "Happy birthday, Matt." I said, at the same time. He looked at the wrapping, and laughed a bit. "Thanks for the effort, Mells'." I rolled my eyes, detesting the nickname, but decided not to act on it. It was his birthday, I couldn't let my attitude ruin it. He opened the wrapping, and looking at the goggles, definitely not expecting my present to be that. He looked at me, not knowing if this was a serious gift of not. "...Goggles?", he asked. I laughed a bit. "To help you with the sun and all. You should cut your hair now that you can wear them." He looked at the goggles hesitantly, putting them on. He looked at me. "How do I look?" he said, chuckling quietly. I made a 'thumbs up' gesture and grinned at him. "Great." I got some scissors out of my pocket. "Now, for the hair..." He looked at me, suddenly scared. "Wait, now?! And I don't want you to cut them. I mean..." He pointed to my hair. I frowned. "What's wrong with my hair?!" He shook his head, clearing his throat. "Nothing. But I'd rather cut them myself." I nodded, grinning. "Then do it." It took a minute before he finally picked up the scissors from the floor, and took his hair in betwen his fingers. I was surprised he didn't move to a bathroom or anything, or that he didn't get a mirror. Suddenly, he cut it, quickly. Red hair fell on the floor. He didn't even bother to stand up. He just did it. After a full thirty seconds of cutting, he stood, messing his hair up. He adjusted his goggles, and looked at me. "...Thanks, Mells'." I gritted my teeth in annoyance but nodded, smiling. "No worries."


	7. Chapter 7

Longer chapter than usual today. I've included some sentences from the second relight (L's successors). Anyways, enjoy, and please leave a review.

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We weren't only in Wammy's House because we were geniuses. One of us was destined to succeed L. The genius detective. I hadn't met him, or heard his voice before. Some of the older kids had. I had only been here about a year-The last time he apparently talked to the kids via a computer was about 3 years ago. That's why, when Matt and I heard that he was going to be talking -via a computer, of course, no one knew what he looked like-, I got nervous. Could I really surpass him? Of course. Was he a guy I wanted to surpass? I wasn't so sure. I didn't want him to think that I wasn't up for it, though. I knew he was going to be watching us with a webcam, even if we would only see him famous "L" logo. I wasn't stupid, I knew how it would be. I would just stand in the corner while he would answer other people's questions. I wondered how he would be. Would he be friendly, or detestable? I guess I'll find out soon. He planned to talk to us, classes to classes, which would mean that since I was in the highest class, he would be talking to us first. It would only be for an hour, but that was still quite a lot.

As I had finished my work in my class early, (though later than Near. Hmph, I bet he skipped a couple of questions.), I had nothing to do. So, when I noticed Matt was playing his video game next to me, I raised my eyebrow at him, speaking quietly. "How the hell haven't you gotten caught by a teacher yet?" He grinned at me, responding loudly. "I have." He looked at the teacher for a second before going back to playing his game. No wonder he got detentions quite often. Just before lunch, as I walked to the kitchen to get a couple of chocolate bars with Matt, I kept hearing kids declare to each other what they would ask L. Most of them were stupid, ranging from "I'll ask him what his favourite meal is!", to "I'll ask him if he ever loved someone!", or even "I'll ask him if he has any siblings!". Any of the answers to those questions were useless, unimportant. They simply did not matter. I wasn't planning to ask him any questions, just to listen, though. After we (Well, when I say we...) grabbed chocolate bars, we made our way to the hall, where a computer screen with a webcam would be waiting for us, L behind it.

As the other kids took a sit in front of it, I leaned against the wall in the corner, unwrapping my chocolate bar. Matt had got out his nintendo, and started playing on it, standing next to me. As I looked up, I saw Near, sitting down opposite me, in the other corner, with a blank puzzle and about 5 rubix cubes. I rolled my eyes. Was this guy trying to show off, or did he think that L wouldn't be interesting enough for him? I looked away, to see if the rest of our class was here, which, of course, they were. They were all sitting down close the the screen, where L's logo suddenly appeared. I looked away. I knew this logo,and it was useless to see it again. It wasn't L's face, and I didn't need to see it. There were about 14 kids in our class, including myself. Three of them were girls, the other, obviously, guys. Roger was standing behind the screen, smiling at us in his usual way. As everybody finally started to quiet down, he spoke up. "Students, I present to you, L. Most of you haven't met him before," (at which I chuckled to myself. We weren't meeting him. We were listening to him answering dumb questions.) "but L knows all about you. Today, you will be able to question him on his daily activities, or on anything that you would like to know, really." He paused to give us an even bigger smile. "Make the most of it." After that, a voice came from the computer. "Thank you, Roger." I figured the voice was L's. It didn't sound like it had been changed by any machine. "Please put your hand up if you have a question. Roger will pick you randomly. Don't worry, we have a lot of time, so everyone will be able to have at least a question answered.", the voice continued.

As hands flew up, I rolled my eyes. Of course, my hand wasn't up there. Neither was Matt's, or Near's. As Roger picked a girl who was sitting right in front of the monitor, she giggled in anticipation. "L, what do you eat? Is there anything that helps you?" I gritted my teeth at what a stupid question that was. Who cares what he ate? L took a moment before answering, though I'm pretty sure he knew this question was going to be asked. It was such a boring an frequently asked one, I was sure. "I eat sweet food. Sugar is essential to the brain." He left it at that, but I did admire his way of responding. He sounded so serious while answering such a silly question. Still, I didn't look at the monitor, or at the small webcam implanted in it. I knew he could see us. But we couldn't see him. So what was the point? I looked at the wall behind Near, who had already completed a rubix cube. As another question got asked and as L answered it, Matt suddenly took interest. He turned off his game, and stood behind the kids, listening carefully to L. Maybe he did care, after all. Time passed, and L would only have time for another question.

As he asked if anybody had anymore questions (He had made the kids laugh before, so they had forgotten a number of their questions), the girl who asked him his first question's hand flew up. "Oh, oh! Is there anything that you're not good at, or maybe something that you're scared of?" The kids behind her started shouting at her. "L's not scared of anything!" As Roger was about to shut them up, L answered. "Something I'm scared of?", he began. As kids suddenly started asking what it was, he went straight to the point. "Well, I suppose..Monsters." The girl giggled. "Me too!", at which a boy behind her shouted at her. "Dummy, you're nothing like L!" I frowned, still staring at the wall and eating my chocolate bar. How the hell did these kids get into this class in the first place? As L continued, everybody got silent. "There are many types of monsters in this world. Monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble. Monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood, and, monsters who always tell lies. Lying monsters are a real nuisance, they are much more cunning than other monsters." He paused, before carrying on. "They pose as humans, even though they have no understanding of the human heart. They eat, even though they've never experienced hunger." I looked at my chocolate bar. "They study even though they have to interest in academics." Near looked at the monitor for the first time. "They seek friendship, even though they do not know how to love. If I were to encounter such a monster, I would likely be eaten by it, because in truth, I am that monster." By the time he was finished, both Near and I were looking straight at the webcam. Roger then announced that it was the end, and that we should hurry and leave soon so that other classes could have a turn. Needless to say, Near and I were the last to leave, for some unknown reason.


	8. Chapter 8

I changed this chapter up a bit because I didn't like it. It's not really different, I just changed a sentence or two. Also, from this chapter on, I'll be skipping lines for dialogue as opposed to my other chapters. Please leave a review, I need to know if I should actually /continue/ this fanfic or just drop it. xD Anyways, enjoy.

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After Near and I had walked out, to let the next class enter, we both stared at each other. After a minute- or what seemed like a minute, anyways-, he smirked, and walked off. I frowned at him, wondering what that guy's problem was. I kept thinking about what L had said. I entered the dinner hall with Matt and sat down, a chocolate bar on my tray. As I was about to bite it, I looked behind Matt, only to see Roger walking towards us. As I raised my eyebrow, Roger smiled at me.  
"Mello. There's someone who wants to talk to you." I tilted my head in confusion, not knowing who would want to talk to me.  
"And who would that be?", I asked him. He smiled again, and answered simply.  
"L."  
At that point on, time seemed to stop. L? L, the real L? The famous detective that we admired, that we wished to surpass? Why would he want to talk to me? Did that mean that I was going to be his successor? Did that mean that he acknowledged me? I looked at Roger, my mouth wide open. As a quiet "What?" escaped my mouth, he pointed to the ceiling.  
"Come with me." I nodded at him, before looking at Matt, who was now grinning at me.  
"Good for you, Mells'." He gave me a thumbs up, and, taking my chocolate bar, I walked out, fully aware of the children, even Near, looking at me. I smirked at him as he did earlier, and I slowly advanced towards Roger.  
My legs shook as I climbed the up the stairs, following Roger, repeating the same questions in my head over and over again. L? Why would he want to talk to me? Did he talk to other people, too? Did he talk to Near? I gritted my teeth at the thought. I shouldn't be thinking like that. He was talking to me. Not Near. Me. I anxiously took a bite of my chocolate before reaching a door. I hadn't been there before. I didn't have to. I didn't even know it existed. Well, sure, I did, but I never thought of going there. I wondered if L was going to be waiting for me on the other side. I inhaled quietly as Roger opened the door. That's when I saw him.  
He was sitting on a couch, though I wouldn't actually call that sitting. He was literally crouching while biting his nail. His messy black hair matched the colour of the bags he had under his eyes. In front of him were sugarcubes-which he apparently stacked, as they showed a tower. He looked at him, and his eyes reminded me of...Nothing. They were black. They were almost non-existent. I stood still as he watched me, putting one of the sugarcubes in his mouth. After a moment, he finally nodded to Roger. He looked at me quickly before exiting, leaving me with the strange, and, if I dare say so, creepy man. He was wearing blue jeans and a white, long sleeved, t-shirt, but no socks nor shoes. Finally, he spoke. "Hello. I am L."  
I wondered if I was supposed to reply, and if so- how? Should I just act casual? No, I couldn't...Not with him, not with L here. So, instead of replying like a normal, decent character, I probably came by as an aggresive person with noticeable anger problem.  
"Why did you want to talk to me?", I questionned.  
He looked at me, probably surprised, before smiling.  
"Sit down.", he said. He had a calm voice, well, calmer than mine, anyways. But again, I doubt that he was meeting the person he was taught to admire right this very second.  
I sat down opposite him in my own manner, before shakingly reaching for my chocolate bar, taking a bite to calm me down. He noticed what I did, and pointed to a corner of the room, where a trolley full of cakes and other sweets waited. I spotted some chocolate, and looked at my half empty bar. He nodded at me. "Help yourself." I shrugged in response.  
"So, why?", I asked again. He grinned in an almost creepy way, biting his nail.  
"Because you interested me." I raised an eyebrow at his answer.  
"Why?", I asked, again. Why had I interested him? He sighed.  
"Let me tell you a, no, rather, three stories, Mello." I leaned back into my chair, intrigued, before nodding, letting him speak. He then started to tell me about a child who was like me -in the way that he was going to surpass L-, B.B, and about his murders. He told me how he had hired Naomi Misora. He also told me how he once fought in a detective war against the real Eraldo Coil and Deneuve, asking me to keep quiet about the truth. Finally, he looked at the candy tray again.  
"I, of course, did not get those.", he pointed to them, before continuing. "One of my...Friends, no, rather, my friend, got them." He looked straight at me. "Watari. The man who founded this orphanage. I had met him when I was eight..."  
My mind got lost listening to his words, and, though I would always remember them, I decided that I would never share his stories, except for extreme cases. I made a mental note of writing them down once I got a chance. His story about meeting Watari, though, struck me the most, in a way that I could relate to.


End file.
